From the Publisher

Glenn Anthony John

Glenn Anthony John / Publisher

This issue is our de-facto “leaf” issue, as we bring you news and features on the leaf business from around the world. First up is “The Tobacco Asia Profile” on AOI (Alliance One International) by Chris Bickers and Thomas Schmid where we learn about their global operations, sustainability programs, and what it takes to buy and sell leaf in the 21st century. Eric Piras, Tobacco Asia cigar correspondent reminds everyone turning their attention toward Cuba and Central America leaf that Asia also has a long history of tobacco growing, including the dark air-cured used in cigars, dark cigarettes, and pipe, chewing and smokeless tobacco products (see page 52). These features are in addition to leaf reports from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Canada, and Namibia.

As e-cigarettes gain in popularity, some are predicting they will take over traditional tobacco products perhaps as soon as 10 years from now. But hold on there for a second…today something like 99% of all tobacco products (that includes e-cigarettes with nicotine) are consumed in traditional products such as cigarettes and cigars. Sometimes though, the e-cigarette business is a juggernaut, omnipresent, what with all the attention and news it receives. We need to face facts…e-cigarettes aren’t for everyone; and traditional tobacco products will continue to hold their own most likely well beyond 10 years from now.

Let there be science not ideology when it comes to e-cigarettes. Although studies show e-cigarettes have not been studied for long, thanks to the decades of research on traditional tobacco products, scientists know where to look and what they are looking for. And e-cigarettes continue to get good marks health wise, comparatively speaking (to traditional cigarettes). Take a look at the story by Nattira Medvedeva (page 20) and see where e-cigarettes rank on nitrosamines, formaldehyde, passive vaping, and glycerin. Anti-tobacco proponents, purportedly all about “health” should take note that e-cigarettes may provide a much healthier option for some smokers, and that they should cease attempting to destroy this new business.

E-cigarette “mania”. Our group is the exclusive representative in China and Hong Kong of the exhibition InterTabac to be held Sept 18-20, 2015, in Dortmund, Germany. And, other than three booths of cigar exhibitors, the rest of the scores and scores of exhibitors from China are e-cigarette suppliers. And many of them are unhappy. Why? Because InterTabac 2015 has SOLD OUT completely in record time, and there’s no space available and many were unable to secure space. Some of them, as OEM suppliers to the e-cigarette/e-liquids industry though may qualify to participate in InterSupply, the accompanying exhibition to InterTabac dedicated to the manufacturing and supply chain for tobacco and related industries. InterSupply still has limited space available there... for information, contact Emerson at edl@octobermultimedia.com.